Tubular drill-stem for hydraulic rotary drilling apparatus.



Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

nvenfoz Scrum,

f lllnlln L. G. SANDS. I ,TUBULAR DRILL STEM FOR HYDRAULIC ROTARYDRILLING APPARATUS.

. APPLICATION FILED MAIL-16, 1909. 940,7 33.

UNITED sTArEs Louis 0. s Nns, or rrr'rsnunc, PENNSYL ANIA.

TUBULAR DRILL-STEM r03 HYDRAULIG'ROTARY DRILLING ArrAn' 'rUs.

Toall whom it may concern: ,Be it known that I, LOUIS O. SANDs, acitizen of the United. States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Tubular 'DrilLStems' for Hydraulic Rotar Drill;-ing Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description' of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to means for protect.-

ing the joints of sectional tubular drill stems used in hydraulicrotarydrilling apparatus employed in sinking Artesian and 011 wells.

In this class of apparatus well casing or tubing is commonly utilized asthe drill stem and is armed at its lower end witha suitable to which thecutter is attached it follows, es-

pecially in'thc case of deep wells, that ultimately great torsionalstrain is brought on the couplings and the connected ends of the pipesections. Asa result of this torsional strain experience has shown thatthe ends of the sections are frequently forced within the "couplinguntil they abut against each other with such force as to cause eitherthe telescoping of the ends of the pipe or the spinning of inwardlyprojecting flanges on the ends ofthe pipe sections and the internaldiameter ofthe threaded couplin member are so uniform in size that theen s of both pipes ortubeswill enter the coupling member the samedistance, therefore it is essential, where a joint of maximum strengthis to be obtained toresist torsional strain, that the end of each pipesection should befree to i enter the contpllng the required distance toobtain an e a member, and yet each of said pipe ends mustv berestrainedagainst any tendency to bul e, inwardly. This can best beaccomplished 1fective hold on the coupling the means employed forprotecting the joint Q Specification of letters Patena I Patented-Nov.23,1909. Application filedMarch 1 6, 1909. Serial No. 483,804.

be a 'loosely movablewithin the tubes and.

coupling member so as to adjust itself with relation to said members nomatter. what relation to each other said members may assume. To overcomethese several defects in tubular drill stems, and to meet therequirements for obtaining a joint of maximum strength toresisttorsional strain, I provide a joint protector to be included within theadjacent ends of the tubular drill sections and the coupling member,said protector having a hollow body and cylindrical ends of slightlyless diameter than the tubular drillrod, whereby the protector isrendered freely slidable within the tubular drill sections, and havingmeans whereby when in position within the joint it is supported withinthe drill stem without engaging the coupling -member, said protectorbeing of such width as to overlap the adjacent ends of the coupledsections, and prevent the in- I ward bulging thereof, and such aconstrue tion embodies the'main feature of my invei 1' tion.

In the drawings chosen for the purpose .of illustratin whereof ispointed out in the claims, there is shown a longitudinal central sectionof the ends of two tubular sections of a drill stem, the coupling memberfor connecting the same, and the preferred form of an interposedjoint'protector embodying my invention. ;In addition thereto therelationof my, invention, the scope I the cutter to the lower pipe section isalso shown.

I will now proceed to describe my invention] more fully so that othersskilled in the art towhich it appertains may apply the,

Same. g l, I

'Inthedrawing, A, A indicate the ad acent threaded ends of two sectionsof a tubular drill stem to the lower section A of which the usual or anyapproved cutter I) is attached, and B indicates the coupling member orinternally threaded sleeve by .means of which the tubular'st'em sectionsA,

A are connected. C indicates the joint protector. The "pipe sections A,A and couplingmember B may be such as are in common use, and the jointprotector is formed independently'thereof. The joint protector C ishollow and ,preferably'of annular form.

It has cylindrical'portions b, b whoseexinterior diameter of the tubulardrill sec- 11o ternal diameters are slightly less than the enter saidsections A, A

tent to prevent the inward bulging of the tubin .The width of saidprotector is suchthat ii; will when in position in thedrill tions A, A"so that the protector may freely to any required exstem overlap theadjacent ends of the tubular sections A, A, and'as theprotectorprotector to the drill stem the section A ofthe drill stem maybe screwed into the coupling member B until an efi'ective holdthereection A in the coupling member B, so that,

of on the coupling member for drilling purposes has been obtained, afterwhich the coupler C may be dropped into the coupling member or sleeve Bwhen one of its cylindrical portions 6 will enter the end of section Awithin the coupling, after which the tubular drill section A may bescrewed into the coupling member B until it obtains an efi'ective holdon the coupling member, and this will bring the other cylindricalportion 12 of the protector within the end of tubular the adjacent endsof both tubular drill sec tions will be prevented from inward bulging orflanging underany conditions. While in some instances the ends of thetubular drill stem sections A, A may abut the annular rib b oftheprotector which maintains the protector. in position within the couplingmember and between the adjacent ends of the tubularsection yet such anadjustment of the several parts is not essential to the efiectiven'essof thedevices, the only essential being that the protector shouldoverlap theadjacent ends of the sections and be free to slidably assumeany relation thereto that may be required by the extent to which each ofsaid sections A, A has entered the coupling member B in securing itseffective hold on the coupling member. r

It will be noted that as the joint p-rotector C is loose or notconnected with the coupling member-it is not restrained or limited inits longitudinal movement within the coupling and this will permit therespective pipe sections to enter the coupling to any extent which willinsure an equal degree of tightness and thus obtain a joint of maximumstrength under torsional strain which will not result where the movementof the rotector .within the coupling is restricted y the coupling.

Having thus descrlbed my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A joint protector for tubular sectional drill stems, said protectorbeing formed as a hollow body member provided with end portions havingcylindrical external surfaces, and being adapted to be slidablysupported within a tubular drill stem.

2 In a joint for tubular sectional drill stems, the combination with thetubular sec tions and coupling member therefor, of an included jointprotector having a hollow body provided with end portions havingcylindrical external surfaces, said protector slidably supported withinthe coupling member and tubular stem sections;

In testimony'whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of twosubscribing witnesses. I

LOUIS C. SANDS. 1 Witnesses;

A; G. HEeenM, W, W. 'ANnERsoN.

